Improvement in horseshoe-machines



@turno STATES PATENT OFFICE.

S. W. DAVIS, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSESHOE-MACHINES.

S peciiicatiou forming part of Letters Patent N o. 10,61 l datedNovember 17, 1863.

To all whom t muy concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL W. DAvIs, of Wilmington, county of NewCastle, State of Delaware, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Horseshoe-Machines; and I do hereby declare thevfollowing to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon.

This invention relates to certain improvements, fully describedhereinafter, in the horseshoe-machine for which Letters Patent weregranted to Thomas It. Taylor, of Cleveland,

` Ohio, on the 3d day of April, 1860.

In order to enable others skilled in this class of mechanism to apply myimprovements, I will now proceed to describe their construction andoperation.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecitication,.Figure 1 is a vertical section of T. It. Taylors patenthorseshoe-machine with my improvements; Fig. 2, a transverse verticalsection Fig. 3, an enlarged view of part of the jaws g Fig. 4, asectional plan of Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a detached view of part of themachine, and Fig. 6a fullsized section of parts of the dies inclosing aportion of a horseshoe.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A is the base-plate of the machine, and on this plate are erected theguide-frame B and frame-work O and-D.-

E is the driving-shaft, which turns at one end in a boX, F, on the frameD, and at the opposite end in a box, F', on the frame C.

It should be here understood that the shaft E is operated from anyadjacent main drivingshaft by any suitable system of gearing suiicientlystrong and powerful to operate the jaws and dies.

Each of the boxes F and F' consist of a lower bearing and a cap, and onthe topy of each cap bears an elliptical spring, G, through each end ofwhich passes the upper end of a rod, H, both rods being secured to theframework and both being furnished above the spring with suitable nuts,by means of which the spring may be caused to bear with moreor lessforce on the cap of the boX. It will be thus seen that the shaft isprevented from rising by the springs, and that the resistancev of thesesprings can be increased or diminished at pleasure.

To that end of the shaft E which projects beyond the box F'is secured acrank-wheel, a, from which projects a pin carrying a roller, b, thelatter operating in the curved slot in the upper end of the vertical armd, which forms a part of the cross-head I, the latter being arranged toslide between guides formed on the frame B. The under side ofthecross-head has a plane horizontal surface, against which bear the twoblocks J and J', and between these is a packing-piece, e, which willvary in thickness according to circumstances described hereinafter. Thetwo blocks with the packingpiece between them are connected together bya bolt, f, and both blocks are retained in their proper lateralpositions by set-screws g, passing through projections on thecross-head, one screw bearing against the block J and the other againstthe block J'.

It will now be seen that these blocks can be adjusted to andfrom eachother by packingpieces e, and secured after adjustment by the boltf, andalso that the two blocks together can be adjusted on the cross-head. Theobject of these adjustable blocks, which constitute a special featureofmy improvements, will appear hereinafter. Into each block is fittedthe semicircular end ot' an arm, K, each arm being connected to one ofthe blocks by means ofa suit-able pin, and the two arms togetherconstituting what are termed the jaws7 of the machine, and these jawscarry the dies L and L', to be hereinafter alluded to. The jaws come incontact as they descend with the blocks M and M', each of which isarranged to tit and slide iu a recess in the base-plate, the horizontalposition of each block being controlled by a screw, h. Two springs, it', are connected at their upper ends to the crosshead l, one springbeing attached to one of the arms K and the other to the other arm, theobject of the springs being to open the jaws as they are being elevated.

N is what is known as the former,7 andis the object round which the ironisbent, and on which the inside of the shoe is formed. It rests on astationary bar, k, and is arranged to slide to and fro at certainintervals during the movement of the machine, precisely las in themachine for which letters patent were arm of the jaws, as illustrated inFigs. 3 and 4.

Each of these dies, as in Taylors patent, consists of a block, Q, letinto one of the arms 0f the jaws, and confined thereto by a curvedplate, It, the edge m, Fig. et, of this plate determinin g the exteriorform ofthe edge of the horseshoe, while the former N determines theshape of the inner edge. A rounded rib, q, on the face ofthe die Qserves to impart the beveled or concave surface to a portion of one faceof the shoe, while the other face is determined by the pressing-die.

The operation of the dies and formation of the shoe will bebest-observed on reference to the sectional diagram, Fig. 6, which isdrawn to the full size, Q representing a portion of one of theforming-dies, q its rounded rib, M part of the former, P part of thepressin g-die,

It part of the curved plate previously referred to, and T a section ofthe shoe.

In Taylors patent machine the die Q was furnished with a simple roundedrib, q, while in Fig. 6 it will be observed that this rounded ribterminates in a smaller rounded rib, q', which constitutes anotherfeature of my improvement, and the object of which will be describedhereinafter. The former-shoe will occasionally adhere to the pressingdieP on the latter receding. It will be at once understood that the removalof this shoe prior to the die again advancing is a matter ofthe utmostimportance. This removal I accomplish by means of the diagonal rod S,which is arranged to'slide in a guide, n, attached to any part of theframe, and in a guide, n', on a bracket, U, also secured to the frame, aspring, t, tending to depress the rod. To the bracket U is hung a lever,V, one arm ot' which is arranged to strike the top ot' the rod S onapin, e, secured to the crank-wheel a, coming in contact with the otherarm of the lever'. The rod S thus receives a sudden blow, which takesplace at such a point in the movement ot' the machine that the lower endof the rod will be brought into violent contact with the edge of anyshoe accidentally adhering to the pressing die, from which the shoe isthus liberated. A projection, w, on the bracket U limits the movement ofthe short arm of the lever V, and consequently limits the upwardmovement of the rod S, and, it' necessary, this upward movement of therod can be regu- 'lated by a set-screw, W ShownY in red lines.)

It has been deemed unnecessary to describe the manner of introducing theheated bar of iron to the machine, the manner ot' cutting off the barand ot' bending the same preparatory to its being pressed into theproper shape, as these operations are the same as thosedescribed in thepatent of It. It. Taylor.

In Taylors patented machine the shaft E turns in permanent bearings.There being no possibility ot its yielding when any accident takesplace, constant breakages consequently ensue. lf a shoe is not properlyformethitis apt to catch between the jaws and the former, so that on thedescent of the jaws an obstruction is presented which mustcause abreakage of some part of Taylors machine. The same result may take placeshould one of the dies b e accidentally broken; hence the importance inmy improved machine of the springs above the bearings, which permit theshaft to rise when any obstruction is presented to the descending dies.

and,consequently, the shaft, to be adjusted verticallyV by placing thinpacking-pieces beneath the boxes or removing packing-pieces from beneaththe same, so that when the forming-dies become worn and are reiiled thedistance of the downward movement of the cross-head can be regulatedaccordingly. In Taylors machine a slight wearing of the dies involvesthe necessity of their abandonment, owing to the shaft E turning inpermanent bearings. It should lbe understood that the formerN ought tobe rigid vertically and laterally; hence theimportance of the adjustableblocks J' and J which permit one or both arms ot' the jaws to be readilyadjusted to such a position in respect to the former that the productionot a uniform shoe is certain. It is most important, too, that the diesshould so close that one arm of the jaws shall not approach the former Nsooner than the other.

It will be readily seen that by means ofthe adjustable blocks M and Mthe closing of the jaws can be regulated with the greatest accuracy. Itmay be remarked here that in Taylors patent machine no provision is madefor the adjustability of the jaws or for insuring the uniform closing ofthe same.

It has been remarked above that the forming-die Q, Fig. 6, in Taylorsmachine was pro vided with a simple rounded rib, g, and that in myimprovement this rib terminated in a smaller rib, q. In operating thedies without this supplementary rib there was a tendency for portions ofthe heated iron,while being pressed into the form of a shoe, to find itsway between the forming-die Q and former N. The edge of the rounded ribwas consequently worn rapidly away, and when thus worn an objectionableweb or fillet would be formed on every shoe. I have found by practicaltests that this evil is obviated by the use Another advantage of thesprings G is this, that they permit the boxes, 4

of the supplementary rib q, which serves to 2. A supplementary rib, q,formed on the so direct the iron as to prevent it While being edge ofthe rounded rib q ofthe forming-dies compressed from finding its waybetween the Q, as set forth, for the purpose specified.

forming-die and former. In testimony whereof I have signed my I claim asmy invention and desire to seneme to this specification in the presenceof cure by Letters Pat-enttwo subscribing Witnesses.

1. -In combination with the two arms K K of the jaws and thereciprocating cross-head I, S. W. DAVIS. the two blocks J and J,'Whenthe sume are rendered adjustable either together or inde- Witnesses:pendently of each other, substantially as and CHARLES E. FOSTER,

for the purpose described. JOHN WHITE.

